Phrasal Verbs
|
Take
|
| take away |
|
| take off |
|
| take after |
to resemble a family member in
appearance, character or behaviour
(i.e. Sylvia has always been a
worrier - she takes after
her mother in that respect) |
| take up |
an activity - become
interested in it or start doing it
(i.e. She took up
line dancing after her husband died) |
| take up on |
accept an offer OR challenge
someone verbally
(i.e. Can I take you up on that
lift to Manchester? ~ Sure! No
problem.
I'd like to take you up on that.
I don't agree that cloning is
inevitable) |
| take over |
assume management, control or
ownership
(i.e. It's possible that the
supermarket chain Safeway
will be taken over by
Sainsbury's) |
| take to |
develop a liking for someone
or something
(i.e. He's taken to
drinking heavily since his
wife left him) |
Pop
|
| pop into |
He popped into
the shop |
| pop over |
My new neighbours
across the road had just moved in so
I popped over to see them |
| pop in |
I was passing by,
noticed the light was on, so thought
I would just pop in for a chat |
| pop round |
|
| pop out |
I’m going to pop
out to the shops for ten minutes.
Don’t answer the door if anyone
calls |
| pop down |
My friend, Dora,
lives in the flat above me. So she
often pops down if she needs
anything, or I might pop up to
see her if I’m feeling lonely |
| pop off |
it means "dying": I may be 85 and I
may have to use a stick to get
around, but I’ve no intention of
popping off yet |
| pop up |
it means "appearing unexpectedly": I hadn’t seen him for
years. Then he just popped up one
day at the club we used to belong to |
Drop
|
| drop in / by |
Drop by any
time you’re passing. You don’t
need to phone first. (= pay a casual
visit) |
| drop out |
He dropped out after
a term - he just wasn’t prepared
to study. (= left college early) |
| drop over |
I dropped over to
see her because I knew she wasn’t
feeling well. (paid a casual call) |
| drop off |
Could you give me
a lift in your car and drop me off
at the station? (= let me get out) |
Write
|
| write |
put pen to paper |
| write down |
write sth on paper in order to
remember it |
| write up |
record sth (usually notes) in
neat and complete form |
Come
|
| Come up |
There are a number
of different meanings and uses of come
up.
- come up
= arise
- come up
= be about to happen
- come up to
= approach
- We would
choose to use come up instead
of come, if the person
we are visiting lives further
north or lives in an
apartment on a higher floor
Come up and see
me some time
A number of
interesting points came up at our
meeting with ICI
|
| Come down |
opposite meaning of "come up".
There are similar nuances with come
over or come round, go up, go
down |
Buy
|
| Buy up |
Buy up
suggests spending large amounts of
money for large amounts of something,
whereas buy simply suggests
paying money for something I've bought him a yellow
tie with pink elephants for his
birthday
They bought up all the old cinemas
and converted them into dance halls
|
Fix
|
| Fix / fix up |
- fix =
repair
- fix =
set price
- fix =
prepare food or drink
- fix =
fasten so cannot move
- fix up =
arrange for something to
happen
|
Idiomatic
expressions
|
Put
The following
idioms and expressions use the verb 'put'.
Each idiom or expression has a
definition and two example sentences
to help understanding of these common
idiomatic expressions with 'put'.
|
| Put a cork in it!
= Be quiet Could you please
put a cork in it?!
Tom, put a cork in it! I can't hear
what Mary is saying.
|
| Put down = criticize
someone Jack put him down and he
hasn't been the same since.
Don't put me down!
|
| Put (stick) one's
nose in = interfere in someone's
business I wish he wouldn't put
his nose in where it's not wanted.
Mary is putting her nose in their
affairs.
|
| Put on the Ritz /
dog = make everything special for
someone else |
| Put some distance
between someone and someone /
something = move far away from He
put some distance between himself and
his ex-wife.
Let's put some distance between us
and the school.
|
| Put someone away =
put in prison They put him
away for twenty years.
Jason was put away for life in prison.
|
| Put someone on = fool,
tease someone He put Jerry on
about his new job.
I don't believe anything you say.
You're putting me on!
|
| Put someone up = provide
accommodation We put them up
last week as they couldn't find a
hotel.
Could you put me up for the night?
|
| Put something away
= eat or drink something He
put the whole pizza away in fifteen
minutes!
We put away six beers.
|
| Put that in your
pipe and smoke it! = You see!
Take that! You're wrong! Now put
that in your pipe and smoke it!
I don't agree with you. Put that in
your pipe and smoke it!
|
| Put the bite on
someone = try to get money from
someone I put the bite on Tim
but he didn't have any money.
She put the bite on me for $50.
|
| Put the finger on
someone = identify someone The
victim put the finger on the criminal.
She put the finger on her boss for
the crime.
|
| Put the heat /
screws on someone = pressure
someone to do something He's
putting the heat on me to finish the
report.
Janet's really putting the screws on
her husband to get a new car.
|
| Put the moves on
someone = try to seduce someone He
was putting the moves on Mary last
night.
Hey! Are you trying to put the moves
on me?
|
Take
|
- take a walk
/ a bus / a
train
- take a minute /
a while / ten
minutes
- take exercise
- take an interest in
- take a photo
- take steps /
measures / action
- take advice
- take offence
- take cover
- take pity on
- take the mickey out
of someone
- take the axe to
something
- take a raincheck
- take heart
- take one's breath
away
- take a seat
- take a bath /
shower
- take care
- take a look
- take milk / sugar in
tea / coffee
- take a break
- take somebody's word
for something
- take your temperature
- take a risk
- take the credit
- take responsibility
- take the weight off
ones feet
- take a dim view of
something
- take ones hat off to
someone
- take a page out of
someone's book
- take a leak
- take stock
- that takes the
biscuit!
|
| take something /
someone for granted |
He just
takes me for granted -
never any thanks for all the things I
do for him
The things I take for
granted in Madrid just do
not apply to my life in London |
| take it as it
comes |
You're going to be
very busy today - lots of customers.
~ Oh, that doesn't bother us. We'll
just take it as it comes |
| take it lying down
|
submit to insult
without protesting, like a dog when
cowed (i.e. She's horrible to
you all the time - don't just take
it lying down!) |
| take it on the
chin |
accept a difficult
situation without complaining (i.e.
Her criticism was quite justified.
He took it on the chin
and apologised) |
| take it out on
someone |
work off frustration
by being unpleasant to someone (i.e. I
know you've had a bad day at work,
but don't take it out on me) |
| take one's breath
away |
stress that something
is extremely beautiful (i.e. When
you get a first glimpse of the
Niagara Falls, it takes
your breath away) |
| take one's hat off
to |
express admiration
for someone's achievements (i.e. I
take my hat off to the police
for managing the protest without
arresting anyone) |
| take someone to the cleaners |
deprive them of their money or
possessions (i.e. They took
me to the cleaners. I went
into the casino with £100 and came
out £1,000 in debt) |
| take someone for a ride |
trick or deceive them, perhaps
for financial gain (i.e. He's taking
you for a ride. Why did
you lend him £100? You'll never get
it back) |
| something takes the biscuit
|
a stupidity that evokes surprise
(i.e. I didn't mind her borrowing
my jeans, but stealing me underwear -
well, that just about takes
the biscuit!) |
